National Hockey League
Boston 4, Montreal 2
When: 7:00 PM ET, Thursday, March 23, 2023
Where: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Referees: Graham Skilliter, Furman South
Linesmen: Travis Gawryletz, Trent Knorr
Attendance: 17850

Tyler Bertuzzi and David Pastrnak each recorded a goal and an assist as the Boston Bruins beat the visiting Montreal Canadiens 4-2 on Thursday night.

Bertuzzi scored his first goal as a Bruin just 4:34 into the first period, while David Pastrnak's 49th of the season came at 2:36 of the second.

Jake DeBrusk and David Krejci rounded out the scoring and Connor Clifton had two assists for Boston (55-11-5, 115 points), which tallied two goals in the first period and one in both the second and third on the way to a fifth consecutive win.

After pitching shutouts in his previous two starts, Jeremy Swayman stopped 29 shots for the Bruins.

Montreal cut 2-0 and 3-1 deficits down to one shortly before the first two intermissions, but Krejci followed up Clifton's point shot and slipped in a backhander from outside the crease to give the hosts insurance for good with 7:44 left in regulation.

Nick Suzuki and Kirby Dach each logged a goal and an assist for the Canadiens (28-38-6, 62 points), who have lost three of their last five games.

Jake Allen made 17 saves.

Montreal had a 31-21 shots advantage and went 2-for-5 on the power play.

Bertuzzi tallied his first goal as a Bruin in fortuitous fashion to open the scoring, slipping the puck from behind the end line, off a Montreal defender and past Allen.

Just after Montreal's Justin Barron hit the right post with his point shot, DeBrusk split two defenders and buried a breakaway goal to double the Boston lead at 13:38.

Suzuki made it 2-1 with 18.3 seconds before intermission, scoring his career-high 22nd goal of the season on a one-timer from the left circle.

The first Montreal goal was scored during a major power play that was assessed after Boston's A.J. Greer cross-checked Mike Hoffman in the face less than three minutes earlier.

An important swing came early in the second. After Swayman made a point-blank save on Rafael Harvey-Pinard, the Bruins took a two-goal lead again when Pastrnak slotted home a shot from the left circle at 2:36.

With his next goal, Pastrnak will become the first 50-goal scorer for the Bruins since current team president Cam Neely in 1993-94.

Dach's power-play goal with 3:47 left in the middle frame brought Montreal back within 3-2. Boston College product Mike Matheson let the puck go from the high slot to the left post, where Dach sent a clean redirect past Swayman.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Montreal   Boston
Kirby Dach 2 Points Tyler Bertuzzi 2
Kirby Dach 1 Goals Tyler Bertuzzi 1
Kirby Dach 1 Assists Connor Clifton 2
Kirby Dach 1 Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Jake Allen .810 Save Percentage Jeremy Swayman .935
Jake Allen 17 Saves Jeremy Swayman 29
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Montreal 31 2 2-5 5-5 14 26
Boston 21 4 0-5 3-5 25 28
Upcoming Games
  • Boston will play their next game at home against Tampa Bay. The Bruins have a W/L % of .759 after a win and .824 after a loss.
  • Montreal will play their next game at home against Columbus. The Canadiens have a W/L % of .321 after a win and .432 after a loss.